How Long?

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Oct 11, 2011

1985....had the job about a month before graduating, and started working (only RN-educated person in the building at night, and after 5pm on evenings) a few days after graduation- 6 months before getting boards results. :)

Juwon · Oct 11, 2011

1985....had the job about a month before graduating, and started working (only RN-educated person in the building at night, and after 5pm on evenings) a few days after graduation- 6 months before getting boards results. :)

you started working real early. they must was in dire need of help!

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Oct 11, 2011

you started working real early. they must was in dire need of help!

Nope. That was the norm, although nursing jobs in my town were scarce and most of my fellow students ended up waitressing (I'll take poop over that any day ), so I was considered lucky. I worked as an agency CNA during school, and knew the 11-7 RN was due to have a baby near the time I graduated, so I marched into the ADON's office and asked if they were hiring for that position- she said yes, and I could fill out the paperwork on the first of my 2-3 days of orientation. After that, it was me and 30 patients on 3-11 and 60 on nights. I was lucky :)

There was an LPN on nights and 3-4 others on 3-11 (150 bed facility). CNAs were 1 per hall on nights, and 2 for evenings. You ran like crazy- but those were the norms... did the respiratory treatments (including percussion), mixed specialized formulas for tube feeders, did dipstick glucose checks (no accuchek machines then), etc. And, handwritten (no checklist) charting on the Medicare patients (and anything weird).

Oh- and for $7.00/hour.....I got another 25 cents after getting boards results :)

PediNurse3 · Oct 11, 2011

I was hired two months before graduation. I started my first job about two weeks after graduating, worked as a GN about a week, took NCLEX, worked some more, and had results a couple days later.

I guess that it varies by state, but it was pretty much unheard of (to me) to wait until after boards to look for a job. Most of those that I graduated with had jobs weeks to months prior to graduation.

beast master RN · Oct 11, 2011

3 months would have been sooner but im a member of tpapn (from being arrested when i was 18) had multiple job offers but couldnt take them for various reasons

poopprincess · Oct 11, 2011

Passed June 1st--had a job 2 weeks later--started second week of July

xtxrn,

6 mo. to get your results?!?! I could have pulled my hair out only waiting 24 hrs. (then again, I thought I failed and tortured myself)!

LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN · Oct 11, 2011

3 months for a flu clinic job in WalMarts, then another 2 months for a on-call home health.

Finally after 9 months got a part-time position in a SNF.

10 months after that I now have a full time job in a SNF and a on-call position in a pediatric facility

enb611 · Oct 11, 2011

I lucked out in this current market. I graduated in May 2011, took the NCLEX and passed in June. By mid July I was working on a PCU floor at a great hospital.

I count my blessings everyday

Flo., BSN, RN · Oct 11, 2011

4 months

Dazglue, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN · Oct 11, 2011

Just graduated in May and had a job lined up months before even graduating.

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Oct 11, 2011

Passed June 1st--had a job 2 weeks later--started second week of July
xtxrn,
6 mo. to get your results?!?! I could have pulled my hair out only waiting 24 hrs. (then again, I thought I failed and tortured myself)!

The test was 1000 questions (for everyone-no being done when 'enough' were right)....4 sections of 250 questions over 2 full days. The NCLEX was offered 2x a year- period. One girl was in a hospital bed with a leg in traction in the room of about 1500 grads taking the test on the same day at that site...

ALL grads across the country took the test on the same dates (no chance to pass along info on that specific test). You had to have at least 600 right (and I thought that was pathetically inadequate) to pass. If you got 599, you fail. If you failed 3 times (I think) you had to go back and take whatever classes over that were a problem. Which was hard to tell.... could have a 13 y/o pregnant diabetic in renal failure as the test patient.....

Clarify- the results came about 2-3 months after taking the test- but we could work as GNs as long as an RN was available -- in the LTC I was at, there was an on-call RN (DON or ADON). The test was in July (if I remember right- got results in mid-October).